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Monday, August 25, 2014

Give Me Lipizzaner Stallions or Give Me Death!

I was sick all the time. This time, I was particularly ill. The
doctors had finally combined penicillin and cephalosporin antibiotics to try to
attack whatever was wrong. Meanwhile, I was still working and remodeling our
house.

The Lipizzaner stallions show was in town, and I desperately
wanted to go. I bought tickets for me, my husband, my brother, a friend I’d
made at work, and her husband. We were all set to go. I had the tickets, and we
were to meet at the Fairgrounds that evening.

Boy, I felt awful!
But then, when didn’t I? My brother came over and the three of us headed
out, my husband driving. I told myself I’d be fine, it would pass. Then it hit.
My mouth filled with water and the cords in my neck tightened. My stomach blew
up, and I felt a rippling in my colon. The car ride dizzied me. I could make it.
Didn’t I know every bathroom stop from Salt Lake City to Ogden? I was used to
being sick to my stomach.

I cursed myself. Hold
on! It will pass!

I had to make it. Everyone was counting on me. I had all the
tickets. We had to make it to the show. Even if I spent the night in the
restroom, at least everyone else could watch the horse show. I held on,
grasping the seat with both hands and trying to keep everything inside.

“Are you okay?” my husband asked.

I couldn’t even answer. The rushing street, bright
headlights, and changing street lights caused my head to swirl. Don’t mention swirl, too close to hurl! I can’t make it!

“You’re going to have to stop somewhere,” I told my husband.
“I’m sick.”

“Let me take you home.”

My brother nodded. “We shouldn’t have gone in the first
place.”

“I can do this,” I responded. “Just get me to a restroom. I’ll
be fine after that.”

My husband pulled into a restaurant parking lot, and I had
the door open before he came to a complete stop. I rushed in, found the
restroom, and bolted through the door. Both stalls were taken.

I beat on one of the doors. “Lady, you’ve got to let me in
there, and I mean now!”

I have no idea how long I took. From the looks on both my
husband’s and brother’s faces, I’d say quite awhile. However, I was determined
to continue.

“I’ll be fine. Let’s just go to the show. I at least need to
give our friends their tickets.”

“Pioneer Hospital is the closest,” my husband said.

“I am not going to that hospital.” I leaned forward and touched his shoulder.

My husband did a U-turn. “I’ll take you back to the house so
you can get your truck,” he said to my brother. “If you want to go see the
Lippizans without us, you should.”

“You just get her to the hospital.”

“You both are making a big deal out of nothing.” I stirred through my purse. “I’ll see if I
have some allergy medication.”

I would not, could not give up. My next breath was
constrained. I grabbed at my throat. Was my breathing blocking off? My chin
trembled, and I shrunk back on the seat. I closed my eyes, not wanting to face
reality. We weren’t going to see the horses. My friends would show up and not
have their tickets. My brother wouldn’t get to see them either. I gave a
half-hearted shrug and mumbled under my breath, “I ruin everything.”

We took my brother back to our house. By then, I could
hardly breathe. My husband rushed me to our local hospital. I can’t quite
remember what happened from there except for the chewing out my husband received
from the doctor.

“You should have called the paramedics or taken her to the
nearest hospital,” the ER doctor said. “She’s in anaphylaxis shock. She’s
allergic to one or the other of the antibiotics. She would have been dead in
another twenty minutes.”

“But you don’t know my wife,” he answered.

And, not much has changed in all these years. “Give me death”
has happened on more than one occasion because of my stubbornness and
unwillingness to succumb to health issues. I guess I’ll never change.

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About Cindy

What Cindy's Books Give You:

* A clean read with no bedroom scenes or offensive language.* A tantalizing, fast-paced plot.* Down-to-earth heroes and heroines.* A rollercoaster ride of emotions.* A special dog to steal your heart.* A few added facts.